1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system for identifying and delivering location specific video content available for portable Set Top Boxes (STB). More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for maintaining regional blackouts.
2. Related Art
Internet Protocol (IP) STBs are being offered as more portable devices that can be used both in the home and at other locations outside the home. The IP STBs can be disconnected from a television and moved from location to location, or portable devices such as tablet computers and smart phones can be programmed to function as IP STBs. With IP STB portability, it will be desirable for content providers to control the content delivered in different areas. For example, it is anticipated that blackout control will be a required function for portable IP STBs to prevent the devices from receiving content based on their actual location when the IP STB is moved.
Blackout can be provided for specific content in a channel or it can be provided for the entire channel. As an example of blackout of content, the NFL will at times black out transmission of a football game within a certain radius of a stadium that is not sold out to potentially increase in-person attendance. The NFL game, however, will not be blacked out far from the stadium. A set top box that is configured or tuned to a service area outside of the blackout area when transported into the blackout area, unless it is retuned, will continue to receive the NFL game coverage. A similar situation exists when an IP STB is transported from one cable service provider location that offers a particular channel to another location where the particular channel is not offered.
Currently, blackout is enforced through the content provider's uplink control system. Normally, a retune command is inserted at the uplink control system and targeted to individual IP STBs, also referred to as Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRDs) that are known to be operating within a specific region. When a specific IP STB observes a retune command addressed to it, it will perform a retune that will cause the video stream to be muted or replaced with an alternative service for the duration of the blackout. Similar functionality can be provided in multi-screen systems through manipulation of the adaptive streaming playlist or manifest files during a blackout event. However, a method is needed to guarantee that the IP STB receives the appropriate manifest/playlist file based on the device's actual physical location within the network and that attempts by illicit client's to manipulate requests to acquire manifests for content restricted within that area are blocked. Furthermore, the method should seamlessly handle a device dynamically changing its location, moving in and out of different access networks, without dependencies being placed on the client device itself.